Psyche's Folly
by Vallana
Summary: If only Kagome had remembered the Greek story of Psyche and Eros maybe things could have been better
1. The Test

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.

Psyche's Folly: The Test

It was morning, but she could still feel his arm around her waist, the memory of his touch like a pleasant weight on her skin. The dream had come for her again just like she had known it would; just like she had told Sango it would; just like it had for the past four months. But this morning would be different than the others. This morning she would discover the truth: if what she had been experiencing was nothing more than a product of an overly fertile imagination or a cleverly concealed tryst based in reality. The answer sat awaiting her just inside the shallow pocket at her waist.

Her fingers itched to slip into the small fold of fabric, and yet she hesitated. Did she really want to know which it was? Did she really want to know if the deep voice and teasing touch she had come to crave was all in her head? That the whispered 'I love you' in the dark had been nothing but a wish? And what if they weren't? What if the words, the caresses, the feelings were all real? Her mind raced with the thought, what if 'he' was real?

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Kagome released the mental hold she had on her wrist and let her hand reach for the answers. Her breath caught as her fingers closed around something she wasn't sure was real. Her skin still prickled with memories. She needed to see it in the light to be sure. Pulling her clenched fist carefully from her pocket, she found herself staring at her proof. He was real.


	2. The Candle

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.

Psyche's Folly: the Candle

The match flared to life as Kagome struck it against the rough strip on the side of the matchbox. The sudden light blinded her for a moment. Quickly she touched the flame to the small candle Sango had helped her conceal in her clothing. Light crept slowly across the rock wall in front of her, bits of quartz sparkling at her like trapped stars. The room was smaller than she had expected, barely large enough for the padded mat she had been sleeping on, but with a ceiling high enough for someone twice her height.

Once her eyes had fully adjusted to the dim light, Kagome shifted under the fabric that covered her. She needed to know the truth. She needed to know whose bed she shared; whose hands had caressed her thighs; whose mouth had brought her gasping for air ever moonless night for the past five months.

Kagome lifted the candle over her body. She was about to do the one thing 'he' had told not to, discover who 'he' really was. As she shifted so that the light could illuminate the face beside her, the melted wax from the candle poured onto her exposed chest. The pain pushed a high pitched squeal from her before she could contain it.

The feeling of movement beside her drew her eyes. Only the reflective glint of his eyes greeted her before her tiny light was snuffed out. As the darkness returned she felt the hot crush of his anger hit her, and then he was gone.


	3. The Regret

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.

Psyche's Folly: The Regret

It was morning, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes and face the harshness of the light. She could still feel the intensity of his anger like a weight on her chest causing her to fight for every breath. She had ruined it; the dream that had been reality, the reality that had been so dream-like. She hadn't been able to trust it. She hadn't been able to trust 'him' and now she had lost it all.

With great effort, Kagome willed her eyes to open and her body to move. For a moment confusion furrowed her brow, there were no leafy branches above her or grass beneath only dull gray walls and dirt floor. She was still in the cave that had sheltered their love making. The pain in her chest grew sharper as the memory of him crashed over her.

She needed to get a hold of herself. She needed to shake off the crushing pain and pull herself together. She was alone and the only one what knew where she was had chosen to abandon her for her betrayal. Inu Yasha would wake to find her gone and only Sango would have reason not to worry. Would she tell them? Would she tell them about the dreams? Would she tell them about the test, about the candle, about their plan to discover the truth?

Kagome dressed with trembling hands. She needed to get out of this cave and look for the others. She couldn't be sure that they would come looking for her. She needed to know if they could forgive her. She needed to know if they would take her back. She hadn't meant to betray them. She had allowed the voice in her head to sway her instead of trusting the words in her heart, and now both were filled with regret.


End file.
